After four easy wins to start the season, the Barton men’s basketball team found the sledding a bit tougher in its conference opener.
Barton started the grueling 26-game Jayhawk Conference schedule Saturday night with the Colby Trojans in town.
This time there would be no blowout. In fact, the game went to overtime before a winner could be determined.
In the end, the Cougars were able to pull out the win over the Trojans, 105-92, in extra time.
“It was a hard fought game,” Coach Craig Fletchall said. “We did what we needed to do to get the win, but it was not easy at all. Colby is a good team. They are going to beat some people.
“We are guarding the ball right now. That has to change. We have to get better defensively.”
Barton got off a great start to the overtime, scoring the first eight points to take control early.
Keshon Montague started it with two free throws and Noah Webster added a conventional 3-point play. Montague tossed in a long-distance 3-pointer the next trip down and Barton had a 91-83 lead just 1:30 into the overtime.
Barton would score 22 points in overtime as the Cougars dominated the five extra minutes.
The Cougars got to overtime thanks to a last-season basket by Kewanise ‘Squeaky’ Wilkins.
Wilkins was left open under the basket in the final seconds as Colby scrambled to defend the perimeter. Marvin Cannon found Wilkins with a bullet pass and he hit the layup to even the game at 83-all with 3.3 seconds left.
On the ensuing in bounds pass, Colby threw it into the student section but Barton wasn’t able to get off a good shot and the game went to overtime.
Colby’s Milton Wordlow had given Colby an 83-81 lead with the shot clock running down as he hit a one-handed, off-balance scoop shot in the lane with 17 seconds to play.
Cannon and Wilkins had huge games for the Cougars. Cannon, the reigning Jayhawk Conference Player of the Week, scored a career-high 27 points and Wilkins added a career-high 26 and a game-high 12 rebounds.
They were just two of six Cougars in double figures. Montague added 19 to go with 12 assists for a double-double. Elijah Ford also had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Also in double figures were Webster with 11 and Sam Lorenzen with 10.
Colby was led by Wordlow with 22.
The Cougars will travel to Garden City Wednesday for its first road game of the season. Garden got off to a great start to the Jayhawk season with 75-59 win at Butler Saturday. The Broncbusters are 5-0. Tip is set for 8 p.m.
Barton 105, Colby 92
Colby 39 44 9 – 92
Barton 37 46 22 – 105
Colby (3-1, 0-1) 92
Smith 1-6 5-5 8, Hall 3-6 5-5 11, Wordlow 6-13 7-8 22, Gyamfi 3-8 0-0 6, Dalton 6-15 0-0 13, Beaudion 4-6 2-2 10, Eagle 2-2 1-2 5, Emmanuel 4-6 0-4 10, Young 4-6 0-4 10, Carmichael 0-0 2-2 2, Emmanuel 0-1 2-2 2, Bol 0-1 1-2 1. Totals – 29-64 27-34 92.
Barton (5-0, 1-0) 105
Wilkins 8-12 8-10 26, Lorenzen 4-4 0-0 10, Ford 4-8 2-4 10, Cannon 10-20 6-7 27, Montague 6-13 5-96 19, Andrews 0-0 0-0 0, White 1-4 0-0 2, Webster 2-2 7-7 11, Dalyrimple 0-1 0-0 0. Totals – 35-64 28-34 105.
3-pointers – Colby 7-24 (Wordlow 3-6, Young 2-4, Smith 1-5, Dalton 1-6, Beaudion 0-1, Hall 0-2); Barton 7-19 (Lorenzen 2-2, Wilkins 2-6, Montague 2-7, Cannon 1-3, Ford 0-1).
Rebounds – Colby 37 (Young 6); Barton 32 (Wilkins 12, Ford 10). Assists – Colby 11 (Wordlow, Beaudion 3); Barton 19 (Montague 12). Steals – Colby 6 (Wordlow 2); Barton 1 (Andrews). Blocks – Colby 2 (Emmanuel). Barton 6 (White 2)
Turnovers – Colby 17, Barton 11. Fouled Out – Gyamfi, Eagle, Colby. Technicals – None.
